Hunterdon Healthcare System and Atlantic Health System announced today that they are forging an alliance aimed at bringing greater care to patients in four counties, while lowering costs.

Hunterdon Healthcare System is the corporate parent of Hunterdon Medical Center.

The as-of-yet unnamed partnership between the two organizations is not a merger. Each will continue to operate independently, but will share services intended to strengthen both hospital systems.

Hunterdon Healthcare is a successful community health care system with a high quality of care, patient satisfaction and strong financial results, said chief medical officer Dr. George Roksvaag.

"We were not pressured in any way to have to do this," he said, adding that at the end of June, the group posted the second strongest operating margin of any hospital in the state.

This was done, in large part, because of size. Atlantic is five or six times larger than Hunterdon's moderately sized system, he said.

"To do some things and to do some things more economically, it's better to be bigger or to have an agreement with someone who is bigger," Roksvaag said. "There was never a discussion whether Hunterdon ought to merge with somebody or be acquired by somebody."

The non-binding agreement caps a year-long effort to look for potential hospital partners both in and out of state. The two systems will reach a more definitive agreement in the coming months, Roksvaag said.

"Atlantic Health will enable us to participate in larger and broader healthcare improvement initiatives that would not be possible for Hunterdon Healthcare alone," Robert Wise, president and CEO of Hunterdon Healthcare, said in a statement. "We are truly pleased about what this means for the future of our community."

Hunterdon, which serves patients in Hunterdon, Somerset, Mercer and Warren counties, would have access to Atlantic’s specialists in pediatrics, neuroscience, endocrinology and some kinds of surgery, for example, without having to hire full-time specialists for the relatively few patients who need those services, Roksvaag said.

The collaboration would improve care for patients, he said.

“We want to make it beneficial to the patients by helping to coordinate that care, but we’re not dictating where patients are referred,” he said. “It opens the ability to make it more seamless and a better process for the patients.”

The alliance would also help the hospital manage costs and operate more efficiently through joint purchasing power for prescription drugs, medical supplies and information technology equipment, Roksvaag said.

The integrated nature of its hospital network is its strength, he said, adding that the alliance would allow Hunterdon to share with Atlantic what it did to get there.

“Atlantic Health System and Hunterdon Healthcare System are advancing shared objectives to work toward improving the health status of the communities we serve,” Atlantic CEO Joseph A. Trunfio said in a statement. “This alliance offers community members more immediate access to certain specialty services and advanced technology. Patients should expect the best clinical and evidence based practices without duplicating efforts and testing, thereby also reducing costs to families.”